Ulysses AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Novel Authoring Tools

The best free Novel Authoring alternative to Ulysses is Zettlr, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Ulysses and 14 are free Novel Authoring Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Novel Authoring Tool alternatives to Ulysses are Manuskript, novelWriter, yWriter and Fortelling - Writer Tools.

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Ulysses alternatives are mainly Novel Authorings but may also be Note-taking Tools or Todo List Managers. Other popular filters includes Free + Novel Authoring. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Ulysses.

Ulysses

Text Editor
Paid • Proprietary

Ulysses is a text editor for creative writers. Used by bloggers, poets, students and published novelists all over the world, it offers an integrated environment to brainstorm, draft, revise and even submit text on a...

More about Ulysses

Ulysses alternatives page was last updated Apr 11, 2023

Zettlr
From idea to publication in one app: Zettlr accompanies you while writing your blog post, newspaper article, term paper, thesis, or entire book.
156 Zettlr alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
+5
Top Zettlr Features
1. Support for MarkDown
2. Zettelkasten note method
3. File Tagging
4. Multiple export options
5. Zotero integration
6. Note organization
7. Link files
8. Ad-free
9. Privacy focused
10. Syntax Highlighting
11. Works Offline
12. Hierarchical Structure
Show all NaN Zettlr features ▾
Zettlr VS Ulysses
Is Zettlr a good alternative to Ulysses?
- Zettlr is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Ulysses.
- Zettlr is Free and Open SourceUlysses is Paid and Proprietary
- Zettlr is Privacy focusedUlysses is not according to our users

Manuskript
Manuskript is an open-source tool for writers, with outliner, character management, plot development, distraction-free editor, etc.
107 Manuskript alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Novel Authoring Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Snapcraft
- Flathub
- Flatpak
+5
Top Manuskript Features
1. Outliner
2. Tree structure
3. Tracking of plots
4. Distraction-free Writing
5. Tracking of characters
6. Ad-free
7. Works Offline
8. No registration required
9. Dark Mode
10. No Tracking
11. Support for MarkDown
12. File Versioning
Show all NaN Manuskript features ▾
Manuskript VS Ulysses
Is Manuskript a good alternative to Ulysses?

novelWriter
novelWriter is a Markdown-like text editor designed for writing novels and larger projects of many smaller plain text documents. It uses its own flavor of Markdown that supports a meta data syntax for comments, synopsis and cross-referencing between files.
48 novelWriter alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Novel Authoring Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Qt
Top novelWriter Features
1. Dark Mode
2. No registration required
3. Spell Checking
4. Support for MarkDown
5. No Tracking
6. Works Offline
7. Privacy focused
8. Lightweight
9. Live Preview
10. Ad-free
11. Full-Text Search
12. Hierarchical Structure
Show all NaN novelWriter features ▾
novelWriter VS Ulysses
Is novelWriter a good alternative to Ulysses?

yWriter
yWriter is a writing tool that uses "scenes" as a unit of text and allows you to associate that text with all manner of story elements (characters, locations, items) as well as place it and rearrange it within the context of chapters.
65 yWriter alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Novel Authoring Tool
- Word Processor
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- Android Tablet
+3
yWriter Features
1. Lightweight
2. Portable
3. Outline mode
4. Tracking of plots
5. Project Organization
6. Track Characters
7. Scene Management
8. Plot visualisation
9. Character database
Show all NaN yWriter features ▾
yWriter VS Ulysses
Is yWriter a good alternative to Ulysses?

Fortelling - Writer Tools
Fortelling provides the tools you need to plot & write your book.
47 Fortelling - Writer Tools alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Novel Authoring Tool
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Android
- iPhone
- iPad
- Web Browser
+3
Top Fortelling - Writer Tools Features
1. Portable
2. Works Offline
3. Dark Mode
4. Goal Setting
5. Real time collaboration
6. WYSIWYG Support
7. Distraction-free
8. Goal Tracking
9. Built-in viewer
10. Cloud Sync
11. Lightweight
12. File Versioning
Show all NaN Fortelling - Writer Tools features ▾
Fortelling - Writer Tools VS Ulysses
Is this a good alternative to Ulysses?

Paper
Super-clean writing space with a lot of configurability that stays out of sight when you don’t need it.
126 Paper alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
+9
Paper Features
1. Dark Mode
2. Ad-free
3. WYSIWYG Support
4. Distraction-free
5. Syntax Highlighting
6. Support for MarkDown
7. Minimalistic
8. Fullscreen support
9. Distraction-free Writing
10. Customizable
Show all NaN Paper features ▾
Paper VS Ulysses
Is Paper a good alternative to Ulysses?

NovaScriber
A most awesome tool to outline and write novels, stories, scripts and keep track of all your characters, locations, notes and ideas.
73 NovaScriber alternatives
License model
- Free Personal • Proprietary
Application types
- Novel Authoring Tool
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Windows
+8
NovaScriber Features
1. Real time collaboration
2. Tree structure
3. Export to Word
4. Corkboard
5. Export to EPUB
Show all NaN NovaScriber features ▾
NovaScriber VS Ulysses
Is NovaScriber a good alternative to Ulysses?

Wavemaker Novel Writing
Looking for a suite of tools for writing your book? This is not just a text editor it does so much more. Organise your story using timelines, planning boards and the snowflake tool, all integrated to make writing intuitive and fun.
67 Wavemaker Novel Writing alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
- Novel Authoring Tool
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Online
+8
Top Wavemaker Novel Writing Features
1. User story mapping
2. Works Offline
3. Planning
4. Timeline
5. Distraction-free
6. Ad-free
7. Dark Mode
8. Lightweight
9. Spell Checking
10. Hierarchical Structure
11. Writing assistance
12. Multiplatform
Show all NaN Wavemaker Novel Writing features ▾
Wavemaker Novel Writing VS Ulysses
Is this a good alternative to Ulysses?

Effie: Write, Mindmap & Note
Effie is a light, clean, yet powerful markup-based writing and mind-mapping software that works across devices/platforms to capture your thoughts and help you write immersively and productively anywhere, anytime.
16 Effie: Write, Mindmap & Note alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- iPhone
- iPad
Effie: Write, Mindmap & Note Features
Brainstorming
Distraction-free Writing
Show all NaN Effie: Write, Mindmap & Note features ▾
+6
Effie: Write, Mindmap & Note VS Ulysses
Is this a good alternative to Ulysses?

Campfire Write
Campfire provides a one-stop-shop for novelists: organizational and writing tools (Campfire Write), a hub of writing resources (Campfire Learn), & a writing and reading platform for building an audience and sharing your work (Campfire Explore).
58 Campfire Write alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
- Novel Authoring Tool
- Note-taking Tool
Platforms
- Online
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Windows
- Mac
- iPad
- Android Tablet
+9
Campfire Write Features
1. Goal Tracking
2. Storyboard
3. Distraction-free Writing
4. Collaborative writing
5. Reading
6. Sci-fi
Show all NaN Campfire Write features ▾
Campfire Write VS Ulysses
Is Campfire Write a good alternative to Ulysses?